When a crocodile is killed, the bile of the animal must be immediately removed and buried in front of witnesses to prove that it has not fallen into the wrong hands, to be used as poison, according to some African traditions. The deadly greenish-brown liquid, produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, is now believed to have been put into traditional beer that killed 69 people who drank it at a funeral on Saturday in Mozambiques northeast Tete province, health authorities said. District health official, Alex Albertini, said poisoning by crocodile bile was common in the area, in an interview with Radio Mozambique. About 196 people were admitted to a hospital in the Chitima district, according to the provinces Health, Women and Social Welfare Director Paula Bernardo. People flocked to the hospital, suffering from diarrhea and muscle pain, Bernardo told Radio Mozambique. Then bodies from various neighborhoods were brought to the hospital, and this alerted us. Pombe, a traditional Mozambican beer, is made from millet or corn flour and brewed for about two days. Pombe is especially enjoyed during ceremonies, and is often sold in rural areas of the southern African country. The victims of the suspected poisoning were attending the funeral of a newborn baby in the Chitima district near the Cahora Bassa lake, Albertini told Radio Mozambique. The childs mother, who brewed the Pombe, was among the dead. huffingtonpost/2015/01/12/mozambique-beer-deaths_n_6455222.html
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 15:37:48 +0000
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